With defenses guessing, 49ers’ ground game leads NFL

In the final game of Jimmy Raye’s ill-fated tenure as the 49ers offensive coordinator in 2010, Chiefs’ defenders called out telegraphed plays – often handoffs to running back Frank Gore — before the snap.

Two years later, Gore smiled Sunday when asked if opponents are still bellowing before runs by the 49ers’ bell cow.

“They can’t,” Gore said.

Indeed, defenses can no longer divine when runs are being dialed up.

As a result, they’ve proven powerless to stop the 49ers’ ground game when it’s been unleashed.

In Sunday’s 45-3 win over the Bills, the 49ers collected 311 rushing yards, the fourth-most in franchise history and the highest total in the NFL since Oct. 24, 2010. The performance came on the heels of a 245-yard effort against the Jets, meaning San Francisco has rushed for more yards in their past two games (556) than 18 teams have collected this season.

The 49ers lead the NFL in rushing (195.8 yards per game) and their 6.1 yards per carry is the second-highest average after five games since the NFL-AFL merger in 1970, according to Grantland.com.

Opponents know the 49ers want to establish their power run game, but they no longer know how they will do so. On Sunday, San Francisco filleted the Bills through the air before gashing them on the ground.

At halftime, 74 percent of their total yards (237 of 320) came from Alex Smith’s passes. In the final two quarters, 76 percent of their yards (228 of 301) were on the ground.

It’s not what Bills defensive tackle Marcell Dareus was anticipating.

“We kind of expected them to run the ball pretty heavy, wear us down and then try to open the pass game up,” Dareus said.

In the 49ers’ run game, Gore (432 yards) remains the headliner, but he’s no longer a solo act as elusive understudy Kendall Hunter (201 yards) is matching his average of 5.4-yards per carry. Gore and Hunter are the only NFC running backs averaging more than 5.2 yards an attempt among those with 20 carries.

However, it’s not just the running backs.

In a nod to creative play-calling, wide receivers and backup quarterback Colin Kaepernick have combined for 178 rushing yards and averaged 11.1 yards a carry. In addition, quarterback Alex Smith (18 carries, 107 yards), who has been given more freedom to take off when he can’t locate an open receiver, already has the third-highest rushing total of his eight-year career.

After five games, wide receivers Mario Manningham and Randy Moss are combining to average just 5.6 receptions and 57 yards per game. But the speedy offseason additions have assisted the running game by forcing safeties to back away from the line of scrimmage.

As a result, Gore isn’t running against the eight-man fronts he’s seen frequently throughout his career.

And he’s longer hearing defenders call out plays before he takes a handoff.

“We’ve got so many weapons and we work well together,” Gore said. “Our coaching staff does a great job of putting us in great situations and we’re just growing. We’re having fun out there.”